Last Friday’s editorial in The Washington Post highlighted Saudi Arabia’s suppression of expression among its Saudi citizens (even if living abroad) including a U.S.-Saudi citizen filmmaker, Abdulaziz al-Muzaini who created the hit animation series Masameer.
Abdulaziz and his production company was charged with sponsoring and supporting terrorism and homosexuality. Additionally, the language used in Masameer includes slurs and “insults” according to the Post. He has since been sentenced to a 13-year prison sentence and a 30 year travel-ban.
From the Post editorial:
The latest repressive episode in Saudi Arabia involves a dual U.S.-Saudi citizen filmmaker, Abdulaziz al-Muzaini, who helped create a hit Netflix animation series, “Masameer,” which satirizes life in the conservative Islamic kingdom, including continuing discrimination against women and strict religious restrictions on daily activities. Initially available only on YouTube, “Masameer” was so popular that it attracted interest from Netflix, with whom Mr. Muzaini signed a five-year production deal in 2020. Though his shows were often daring by Saudi standards, the regime seemed to tolerate it. Mr. Muzaini even appeared on Saudi state television discussing the film industry; there was a “Masameer Experience” ride at a Saudi theme park.
Here’s the trailer to Masameer. Netflix describes it as “Offering a humorous view of a changing Saudi, this show chronicles the rip-roaring shenanigans and adventures of Masameer County’s quirkiest residents.”
